Whatever it is, for two games it's working ... but it ain't over yet. The Lakers can play better and so can the Suns. If the Suns are able to win this series, the reason will be fatigue and Kobe eventually having an off night.

If Kobe can play as well in Game 5 as he did in Games 1 through 4, the Lakers will be very hard to beat at home on Thursday. Here's hoping.

The Official Phoenix Suns Blog " Blog Archive " Suns Still in SixThink about it. Never in the history of the NBA has a team so good been given so little chance by so many —and that plays right into this team’s personality. The karma or mojo (or whatever you wish to call that easy to see but hard to define characteristic) of these Suns is off the charts.

Forum Blue And Gold " Lakers/Suns Game 4: Suns’ Bench Torches The LakersI thought the Suns’ defense on Gasol was brilliant. They’re the first team in a long time that’s been able to double Pau effectively and not get killed by his passing skills. The way I saw it, they did it with angles and energy. They swarmed Pau on the catch with 2 or 3 guys. Normally, it’s a recipe for Lakers success. But the activity and angles of the guys swarming him really cut off his vision and bothered him in a way I haven’t seen before.

KTAR.com - Ash: Best of 3 anyone?Last night might have been one of the most enjoyable Phoenix Suns basketball games I have ever watched and slowly but surely this is becoming my favorite Suns team of all time and it has nothing to do with Nash and Amare! The bench of the Phoenix Suns is absolutely amazing.

NBA Playbook – A Look At The Playcalling In The NBA Through Videos, Pictures, & Words " Suns’ 4th Quarter Defensive AdjustmentThis was a terrific defensive adjustment by the Suns coaching staff. Kobe Bryant was really going from the three point line last night (6-9 for the game), but the Suns were able to keep him from even attempting a three in the fourth quarter. In fact, Kobe only had 7 (he scored 38 for the game) points in the 4th on 3-4 shooting. This wasn’t because it was "passive Kobe" either. This was a defense keeping the basketball out of his hands (as shown in video 2) and forcing him to pass it late in the clock so he couldn’t get it back (as shown in video 1).

Lakers' reserves are only contributing to losses - latimes.comThe Suns were like a joyful college team, everyone playing, everyone scoring, the sidelines dancing. The Lakers were like a somber high school team with one star and five kids from shop class. Bryant scored a brilliant 38 points before eventually losing his lift to exhaustion. He was exhausted because he had to play nearly 45 minutes because he just didn't have any help from his cheerleaders.

Suns’ Dragic an Able Substitute for Nash - Off the Dribble Blog - NYTimes.comAlong with a deeper and more energetic bench than the Lakers, the Suns suddenly have a backup point guard who may be allowing Steve Nash to tack on an extra year or two to his career. With the rapid development of Goran Dragic in his second N.B.A. season, the Suns don’t have to merely survive anymore when Nash rests early in the second and fourth quarters. "Dragic playing a pick-and-roll really hurt," Pau Gasol said after the Suns evened the Western Conference finals at 2-2. "Couldn’t stop it from getting into the lane and then he started driving and kicking, and they made big shots on the kickouts."

Suns get even with Lakers, 115-106 - latimes.comSomewhere between the desire to bust the zone defense of the Phoenix Suns and move decisively within a victory of the NBA Finals, the Lakers forgot about one fairly important concept. Their defense.

If you want to beat the Los Angeles Lakers, you better get to the free throw line - Silver Screen and RollOrlando sees a difference of 5.5 FTs in home vs. road contests. Phoenix is similar, at about 6.1. Boston, they of the extremely physical defense, have a change in FT advantage of 8.1. The difference in FT advantage/disadvantage for the Lakers? 16.3, more than twice that of anybody still left in these playoffs. It should also be noted, as you can see above, that the Lakers aren't exactly getting the same returns on FTs at home as anybody else is either. Both home and away, the Lakers are seeing the worst FT discrepencies of anybody still dancing.

Phoenix Suns' guard Steve Nash continues to take hits to the face"Are you kidding me?" Gentry said when asked if he could have adjusted his own nose in such a situation. "My wife was in a car accident and broke her nose. Just to see him move his nose back over, she almost fainted. She said she can't even imagine the pain involved in that. He's as tough as they come. "But I'd like for him to avoid the facial injuries for a while. Maybe just a scratch on the arm. He's willing to stick his face in there, though. He'll do anything for us to win and that's why you have to love the guy."